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Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

ycombinator.com

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Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#281

Post by robfitz »

danohuiginn wrote: post #253
cbrinker wrote: post #199

At the root of many issues I think is interface design. I'm not just talking about software, I'm talking about hardware. Computers really haven't changed how we interact with them for a good, what, 30 years? Is the mouse and keyboard really the best ways to interact with a computing system? Why don't we have integrated HUDs in our glasses, all of our new cars (granted some like BMW have them optionally on expensive m…

Yes. Here's one user interface that should exist but doesnt: marionettes. An old-fashioned marionette lets the puppeteer control all four limbs, swivel the puppet, and move it in three dimensions - using only one hand. Connect that to a console and you have a killer game interface. Alternatively, pitch it at high-end CAD people, and all those little tech shops doing work for Hollywood. I have no hardware background,…

there were a couple working builds of this at georgia tech while i was there. they had one that was, in fact, a marionette. and one of the other fuzzwich guys (devin) built a similar thing using computer vision and hand puppets. both were hooked up to control characters in the unreal engine (primarily for machinima, but you could sorta play the game with it too). it's fun, fast, and kids adore it. so yea, definitely work being done in this area, and what has been made thus far is certainly compelling. nothing commercial that i know of, though.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#282

Post by ricree »

fleaflicker wrote: post #248

Something your company needs that doesn't exist Don't forget the more obvious something you need that doesn't exist.

True enough, but companies are generally a lot more willing to shell out money than consumers are, so long as you can convince them that your product will save them money.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#283

Post by danohuiginn »

robfitz wrote: post #281
danohuiginn wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Here's one user interface that should exist but doesnt: marionettes. An old-fashioned marionette lets the puppeteer control all four limbs, swivel the puppet, and move it in three dimensions - using only one hand. Connect that to a console and you have a killer game interface. Alternatively, pitch it at high-end CAD people, and all those little tech shops doing work for Hollywood. I have no hardware background,…

there were a couple working builds of this at georgia tech while i was there. they had one that was, in fact, a marionette. and one of the other fuzzwich guys (devin) built a similar thing using computer vision and hand puppets. both were hooked up to control characters in the unreal engine (primarily for machinima, but you could sorta play the game with it too). it's fun, fast, and kids adore it. so yea, definitely…

Fascinating, thanks. Here's a link I tracked down, in case anyone else is interested: http://synlab.gatech.edu/data/papers/mazalek_ace2007_tui3d.p...

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#284

Post by SwellJoe »

miked wrote: post #152
pg wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. I was just saying that if you want to beat Google, that's their weak spot. Or at least a big one. Most people who read that one will think "huh?" But if someone reads it and thinks "Damn, how did he hear about what we're working on?" that's someone we'd really love to hear from.

Or: the "weak spot" might simply be that people inherently differ in their display preferences. _I_ happen to like Google's clean design, but if even 5% of the population actively dislikes it, someone could make some money. Google's "weakness" then becomes the fact that they can only present one face to the world. The beauty of this approach is that it will be tricky for Google to counterattack since they won't want…

I think this merely shows a difference of opinion about what "design" means in this context. I'm absolutely certain that pg does not mean merely "appearance" when he says "design".

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#285

Post by noodle »

Tichy wrote: post #164
noodle wrote: post #29

its depressing, i've had some ideas that i think are good that touch on some of those areas but i'm not applying to YC because i don't have the time to make it up there for a few months. :(

How can you not have the time? Make the time... They give you some money, so it is not like you'd go completely bankrupt. Time = Money...

because i have personal and financial responsibilities that prevent me from doing it.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#286

Post by LogicHoleFlaw »

busyant wrote: post #262
pixcavator wrote: post #58

Regarding #27, is there anyone who is working on image processing for digital cameras?

Apple (or someone like them) needs to make a digital camera with iPod simplicity. I bought my parents a digital camera a few years ago and it might as well have a plutonium core the way my parents deal with it. Primarily they hand it to me on social occasions and say, "take some pictures...I don't know how to use this thing" Just a simple camera with these features and nothing more: 1. on/off button 2. zoom in /out 3…

You can get rid of a lot of those buttons too. Have it be instant-on so you don't need a power button. Just snap the photo. Get rid of the zoom. You can move yourself in / out physically if you need to be closer. Forget the delete button too. Flash memory is expansive enough that you shouldn't have to worry about it on the hardware.

Make the camera have a shutter button, some simple way to view the pictures you have taken so far, and do all the rest in software in some sort of picasa/itunes-quality app.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#287

Post by jerry5 »

LarryV wrote: post #277
jerry5 wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've sometimes wondered whether IT isn't becoming the 'core' part of a business. I.e. the one that's most complex and drives the competitive edge and success of a business. I have worked in IT in many different industries and often enough found the 'business' part of the business to be easy to pick up while it sometimes took ages and a lot of brainpower to get on top of the technology. In other words, IT people can u…

I don't think IT will ever become that important. IT will just take its rightful place next to Law Firms and Accounting Firms as a necessary part of the business but not the core. It is kind of surprising that IT, with its self references as fast-paced and innovative has taken so long to realize its own inefficiencies. IT (in the sense of internal computer systems for businesses) was greatly over invested starting in…

I have a vague idea what you mean by the 'inefficiencies'. I am wondering whether these would have manifested in the first place if IT had been given a more central role. It's a lot about motivation too, the 'central' people in a business are usually motivated by being shareholders as well as employees at the same time. If you treat IT as just another accountant they will find endless means and ways to drag their feet and just generally pursue their own interests which are generally opposed to that of the business. Being linked into the flow of information, i.e. high level senior management decisions, is important too for efficiency.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#288

Post by samfind »

2. Simplified browsing. There are a lot of cases where you'd trade some of the power of a web browser for greater simplicity. Grandparents and small children don't want the full web; they want to communicate and share pictures and look things up. What viable ideas lie undiscovered in the space between a digital photo frame and a computer running Firefox? If you built one now, who else would use it besides grandparents and small children?

We have built one! our website, samfind - http://samfind.com just launched and we fill the gap for those who are less technically savvy. we concentrate on making your homepage easy to navigate and create and give you access to the websites that you use. The web can just be too darn big sometimes - and you don't need it all - all the time.

We think those who are more technically savvy can get into samfind as well. We have built widgets and gadgets for the firefox set who would like to place their samfind homepage onto the start page of their choice.

sam http://samfind.com

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#289

Post by samfind »

foompy_katt wrote: post #173

2. Simplified browsing. I got nothing on this, since I'm not in the target market. Btw, my pet theory is that smart people will have the best luck inventing commercially successful solutions, if they focus on jobs and activities that hardly any smart people do. Like, bagging groceries, and data entry. I've done both of those, and I had plenty of germinal ideas on how they could be improved or automated. The corollary…

How does this suit you:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=251821

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